28 February 2014

What they say:Five months ago, Camryn and Andrew, both dealing with personal hardships, they met on a Greyhound bus. They fell in love and proved that when two people are meant to be together, fate will find a way to make it happen.

Now, in the highly anticipated sequel to The Edge of Never, Camryn and Andrew are pursuing their love for music and living life to the fullest as they always swore to do. But when tragedy befalls them, their relationship is put to the ultimate test. As Camryn tries to numb her pain, Andrew makes a bold decision: To get their life back on track, they'll set out on another cross-country road trip. Together they find excitement, passion, adventure-and challenges they never could have anticipated.

What I say:I remembering reading The Edge of Never (book one) and thinking I'd never read anything quite like it before. The Edge of Never will always hold a special place in my heart and I don't think many books have or will ever make me cry as much. I was especially nervous but extremely excited to read The Edge of Always.

Camryn and Andrew have overcome some pretty traumatic issues to get where they are at the beginning of the book and just when you think they may finally be close to their HEA something else happens which threatens to tear them apart. William Golding once wrote about the beast within and how once we've seen/lived through terrible things we will never be the same, but have to learn to live with them. This is very true for Camryn and Andrew and The Edge of Always portrays their journey to overcome, evolve and to keep moving on.

For me the most remarkable aspects from both books is the strength of Camryn and Andrew's love and how they face their tragedies. When Camryn 'checks out' Andrew brings her back and never looses sight of what they have and could also have. Even with the agony J.A. Redmerski puts her readers through both these books are well worth the drama and tears! Even when things go wrong for them (I was sobbing) there is still hope! I love a good road trip!!

4 powerful Stars in my Sky!

My fav quotes (there were so many but I just picked a few):

It’s like, you know, it doesn’t matter what you do, even if you try to replicate an experience down to every last detail, it’ll never be the way it was when it happened naturally the first time.

Our story is over, yes, but our journey isn't, because we'll always live on the edge until the day we die.

"You're like a philosopher with tattoos."

“You’re the world to me,” I whisper onto her lips. “I hope you never forget that.”
“I’ll never forget… But if I ever do, for whatever reason, I hope you’ll always find a way to remind me.”

Note from Abbi: Rush Finlay won readers hearts in Fallen Too Far. However, his side of the story was never told… until now.

RUSH TOO FAR is coming May 6, 2014

If you thought Rush was hot before, you’ve not seen nothing yet.

Summary:

Everyone in Rosemary Beach thinks they know how Rush Finlay and Blaire Wynn fell in love. But Rush is back to tell his side of the story...

Rush has earned every bit of his bad-boy reputation. The three-story beach house, luxury car, and line of girls begging for time between his sheets are the envy of every guy in Rosemary Beach, and Rush handles it all with the laid-back cool of a rock star’s son. All he needs are his best friend, Grant, and his sister, Nan.

Until Blaire Wynn drives into town in her beat-up pickup truck with a pistol under her seat. The Alabama farm girl instantly captures Rush’s attention once he discovers that the angelic beauty is his new stepsister, but he vows to keep his distance. Even if she needs his help. Even if he craves her.

Because Rush knows why Blaire is all alone in the world, forced to ask for help from the father who abandoned her three years ago. And he knows if he gets too close it will destroy Nan, who has a secret connection to Blaire.

He has every reason in the world to stay away from her. Find out why he doesn’t.

Abbi Glinesis the New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal bestselling author of the Rosemary Beach, Sea Breeze, Vincent Boys, and Existence series. A devoted booklover, Abbi lives with her family in Alabama. She can often be found hiding in her office pretending to write while actually watching episodes of Buffy on Netflix. If she’s not in a Vampire Slayer mood she can be found watching Friday Night Lights. But please do not tell her husband. He has no idea she isn’t always hard at work.

27 February 2014

I'm extremely happy to be part of the cover reveal for When I Surrender -the next instalment in Kendall Ryan's dramatic and complicated When I Break series!

WHEN I SURRENDER

(When I Break #2)

Release Date: April 7th

Book Description:

**Warning**

This book is intended for a mature reading audience and contains adult language and themes.

Undaunted by Knox’s complicated history with sexual addiction, McKenna pushes forward in her relationship with this deliciously flawed man. She experiences the highest highs as they discover each other, along with the lowest lows, and worries that his past may not be entirely behind him.

But when a complication from her own past demands attention, she's forced to decide where their relationship is headed, and everything she thought she knew is questioned.

When I Surrender is book 2 in the WHEN I BREAK series by New York Times & USA Today bestselling author Kendall Ryan.

Vanessa Smith has her heart guarded. She’s been married to a man that sleeps around and has made her think she’s ugly and undeserving. Everything changes when she is knocked down by the famous basketball player, Jackson Berrios. A friendship ensues and everything she thought she knew about men turns out to be wrong.

Jackson Berrios was out for a run in a new city when he made contact with the beautiful Vanessa Smith. He instantly knew she was different from most girls but can he make her see that he’s different from her cheating husband?

What I say: Guarded is a short and sweet intro into J.D. Rivera's Guarded Heart series. We meet downtrodden Vanessa Smith, who is finalising a divorce from her hideous soon-to-be-ex-husband. Vanessa has been lead to believe she's ugly and not worth bothering with. Enter the new hottie in town, Jackson-basketball-star-Berrios!

I loved the scene where Vanessa and Jackson first meet - I'll let you discover why. In this novella we watch Jackson battle to convince her he is worth tacking a gamble on. Vanessa is convinced all men, especially rich, famous and handsome sport stars cannot be faithful.

J.D. Rivera did a great job portraying Vanessa's vulnerability and her potential sass. After reading so many stories about stereotypical 'playa' sportsmen it was nice to see a guy who really wanted to get to know an ordinary woman.

It'll be interesting to see where Rivera takes the series - I predict drama and misunderstandings before hope of a HEA.

3.5 Stars in my Sky!

J.D. Rivera lives in Oklahoma with her husband and two boys. Her life consists of school projects, homework, cartoon shows, and little league sports. She loves Diet Mountain Dew, the OKC Thunder, costume jewelry, the beach, and reading.

26 February 2014

What they say: This gritty spin-off of the New York Times bestselling Shattered Hearts Series follows mysterious and sexy Tristan as he attempts to abandon his demons in the name of love.

A steady stream of meaningless sex is all Tristan has left when he discovers the grandmother who raised him is dying and his best friend is getting married. He is lost; and the dark secrets in his past keep coming back to remind him of this.

Until Tristan has an idea that will change his life and fulfill his dying grandmother’s wishes: Abandon his playboy ways and settle down.

And who better to do it with than Senia, the girl who has occupied his thoughts since their scorching hot tryst in the back of his sports car. The girl who makes him laugh and feel like a kid again.

But when his world begins to crumble around him, the pain Tristan is hiding finds its way to the surface. Will Tristan finally learn to trust again? Or will he abandon Senia when she needs him the most?

Abandon was published in Jan 2014 by Gloss Publishing.

What I say: Abandon is a spin-off from Cassia Leo's Shattered Heart Series, but if like me you haven't read Claire and Chris's story then fear not Abandon works well as a standalone novel. It focuses on their best friends Tristan and Senia.

Tristan is something of a lone ranger; he lives alone, doesn't commit and fulfils the sexy musician bill very well! Bassist Tristan comes from one hell of a messed up family and is plagued by a horrific childhood. He has a lot of issues (parts of the story are dark so be warned), but he's also sexy and mysterious. Tristan and Senia have known of each other for a few years (through Chris and Claire) and although they have had several near misses they haven't really gotten together until now. I enjoyed seeing all the different sides to Tristan; yes, he's a player but he's also super sweet with his sister and gran. I wasn't expecting his family situation to go where it did and I didn't see the Mum plot coming.

I didn't feel I got to know Senia as well as Tristan but their banter was heaps of fun. It's often difficult to make the female MC likeable but I felt Cassia did a good job with Senia. I would have liked to experience their relationship grow more because they're effectively thrown in at the deep end.

I'm adding Tristan to my book boyfriend list - it's the long hair! Kidding, he's really well written! I'm off to read the rest of the Shattered Hearts series to see what I missed out on!

Waiting on Wednesday is my weekly post where I obsess over the shiny new books I cannot wait to read!

This week I'm waiting on... Nash (Marked Men #4)by Jay Crownover

What they say: Will their past determine their future?

Saint Ford has worked hard to achieve her childhood dream of becoming of nurse. Focused on her work and devoted to her patients, there’s no room for love. She doesn’t need a guy making waves in her calm, serene life—especially when he’s the unforgettable hottie who nearly destroyed her in high school. Dark, brooding Nash Donovan might not remember her or the terrible pain he caused. But he turned her world upside down . . . and now he’s trying to do it again.

Saint has no idea that Nash isn’t the cocky player he once was. Uncovering a devastating family secret has rocked his world, and now he’s struggling to figure out his future. He can’t be distracted by the pretty nurse he seems to meet everywhere. Still, he can’t ignore the sparks that fly between them —or how she seems so desperate to get away from him. But the funny, sweet, and drop-dead gorgeous Saint is far too amazing to give up on—especially since she’s the only thing in his life that seems to make sense.

When Nash discovers the truth about their past, he realizes he may have lost her heart before he could even fight for it. Now, Saint has to decide: is Nash worth risking herself for all over again?

Chloe Knaggs is a bit of a nerd, a bit of a klutz, and all Blunder Woman, especially when it comes to love. Take the love of her life, Matt M. - or as she calls him - Mmm. He's her consummate unboyfriend, meaning, they have all the intimacy of a dating couple without any of the intimacy. Confused? So is Chloe. When Matt decides to elope with the very beautiful, svelte Amber, Chloe goes a little bit crazy and takes her hippy mom and best friend Megan right along with her.

Blunder Woman is a hilarious romp with bright characters through a series of misadventures including a derby party gone horribly wrong, a night of drinking Flaming Turtles, and a fundraising event where the biggest blunder of all occurs. Blunder Woman is funny, fresh, and above all real...in a truly awkward way.

WARNING: "Blunder Woman" will make you snort out loud so drinking while reading is not recommended.

EXCERPT

Two

A Brief (but not brief enough) History About Matt

I met Matt at a group training camp, you know those places to which companies take their awkward employees--employees who don’t get along and work better on their own. So the Company makes everyone go to a weekend long ‘retreat’ which is really a weekend long house-arrest without the little ankle bracelets.

I’ve done these things before.

You have the group leader and you’re locked in a room with your ‘teammates’ (or office workers who usually you have nothing to say to), and then the group leader leads you in an exercise of trust…usually something like falling backwards from a high perch and hoping to God your coworkers catch you. It’s supposed to teach you about trust and the importance of working as a team, but I don’t think it translates at all. During one of these exercises, I actually spend most of the time obsessing about how much I don’t trust my coworkers and how very little I want to fall into their arms. But I digress.

I didn’t want to go to the stupid Employee Esteem Training but I had to. I’d just been hired part-time at the musical society to write grants and organize fundraisers and I had to show that I was part of the team, a real go-getter, a team player. (More on this musical society later. Work is important, but right now I’m talking about the love of my life.) So the team-building thing was mandatory. No go, no job, end of story. So I was very pleased to walk into the Wedgwood Center (a.k.a. The Happy Place) and see a very handsome and very male individual standing in the center of the room, arms open and smiling. Sex appeal came off of him in waves, the way the scent of Axe deodorant pours off high school boys.

I can tell you what he looks like, but it doesn’t do him justice. Descriptions never do, you just end up envisioning a freakish monster with whatever hair and eye color I’ve described and try to think it’s sexy. So instead of saying he was tall and had dirty blonde hair and a wide smile (words that don’t really describe him at all), I’ll say instead that he was a mixture of Jason Bateman of Arrested Development quirkiness, with a Harrison Ford grin, and a body (I imagine) just like an oiled-up man posing in Glamour’s Hot Guy of the Month. This was Matt: sensitive, sexy, warm, sexy, open, funny, sexy, tall, ripped, sexy, and a smile that made me feel like he was looking just at me, even if he was looking at everyone the same way. And he was sexy. Did I say that? Like the kind of guy that should reproduce because, duh, that’s what we’re designed for, right?

I should have known I was in trouble right there. A man you’re attracted to somehow makes your brain stop working. It’s some kind of alien power, I’m sure of it. Attraction equals instant stupidity.

And when he opened his arms and welcomed us, I was ready to do any stupid trust exercise he asked, including the high wire walk between trees, which I did, all the while screaming, “I hate this! I can’t do this! Get me out of this tree!!!” Then I looked down at Matt and felt, somehow, I could do anything. Blammo. He suddenly became my rock, my force, and the new obsession of my life.

Two days later, I called him at his work. I called at 6:30 on a Sunday, certain he wouldn’t be there, and he wasn’t, thank the Gods, so I left a truly awkward message.

“Hi! Matt! This is Chloe!” My voice was so tight and peppy it sounded like I was on helium. “Oh. Chloe from that group you just had, you know, Mozart fundraiser go-go-go! I was the one with the curly shortish reddish hair, the one who talked a lot, the one who screamed ‘FOR GODDSAKES GET ME OUT OF THIS TREE!!!’ Yeah. So I was wondering if you’d like to go out for coffee with me? Scratch that. I don’t drink coffee, but maybe you do. You could get coffee and I could get something else. Tea maybe. Probably hot chocolate. Or maybe just water. And a scone. I like scones. Do you like scones? Yeah. So. I’d like to meet you. For an un-coffee. Okey-dokey? Okay.”

Not only had I actually said “Okey-dokey”, I also hung up without leaving my number. I had to call back and leave another message that I knew he’d get before the previous message so I basically had to repeat the entire thing. It was terrible.

He called me Monday morning.

We had uncoffee on Tuesday. Followed by unlunch (I was too nervous to eat) and an unwalk (we sat on a park bench and talked). I thought, I’ve found him. He’s the One, and leaned in to kiss him. He answered a call on his phone. It was his mom. At the end of our ‘date’ he hugged me to him, told me he loved spending time with me, that I was unlike anyone he’d ever met.

I’d been in love with him ever since.

I’ve loved him for two years. Two years of incredible conversations and ‘undates’. Of having dinner together, and movies, and celebrating each other’s birthday parties. Two years of meeting him for uncoffees and having unsex (meaning elaborate sex fantasies only in my mind), of being at his beck and call. Two years of celebrating holidays not on the holiday, but near it. Of talking about our daily lives on the phone or while curled up watching a movie. And when I stop to think about it, two years of never meeting his friends, never meeting his family, and never, not ever, meeting his penis.

I’ve loved him for two years. Two! I probably love him still. And I hate his guts for that. Really. I do.

Tanya Eby

Tanya Eby is an audiobook narrator and novelist living in Grand Rapids, Michigan with her tiki-obsessed husband and two quirky kids.

25 February 2014

I am beyond excited to participate in the Release Day Launch for Jennifer L. Armentrout's WHITE HOT KISS! WHITE HOT KISS is a young adult paranormal romance being published by Harlequin Teen TODAY! This is the first full-length novel in The Dark Elements Series and one you'll want to grab as soon as you finish reading this post.

ABOUT WHITE HOT KISS:

One kiss could be the last.

Seventeen-year-old Layla just wants to be normal. But with a kiss that kills anything with a soul, she's anything but normal. Half demon, half gargoyle, Layla has abilities no one else possesses.

Raised among the Wardens—a race of gargoyles tasked with hunting demons and keeping humanity safe—Layla tries to fit in, but that means hiding her own dark side from those she loves the most. Especially Zayne, the swoon-worthy, incredibly gorgeous and completely off-limits Warden she's crushed on since forever.

Then she meets Roth—a tattooed, sinfully hot demon who claims to know all her secrets. Layla knows she should stay away, but she's not sure she wants to—especially when that whole no-kissing thing isn't an issue, considering Roth has no soul.

But when Layla discovers she's the reason for the violent demon uprising, trusting Roth could not only ruin her chances with Zayne…it could brand her a traitor to her family. Worse yet, it could become a one-way ticket to the end of the world.

EXCERPT:

“I don’t think of Zayne that way!”

She laughed. “What man-parts-loving female in this world doesn’t think of Zayne that

way? I can barely keep myself breathing when I see him. All the guys in school have squishy

waists. I can tell Zayne doesn’t. He’s the awesome sauce with extra sauce.”

That he was and he so didn’t have a squishy waist, but I tuned Stacey out at that point. I

really did need to cram for this test and I also didn’t want my fantasies involving Zayne to

occupy my mind right now. Especially after I’d woken up this morning, carefully tucked under

the covers. The bed had smelled like him: sandalwood and crisp linen.

“Oh, sweet baby Jesus in a manger,” Stacey murmured.

I clenched my jaw, cupping my hands over my ears.

She jabbed me in the side with her elbow. At this rate I’d be covered in bruises before

lunchtime. “Our bio class just got a billion times more interesting. And hotter, lots and lots

hotter. Holy mother, I want to have his babies. Not now of course, but definitely later. But I’d

like to start practicing soon.”

The cell wall is a thick and rigid layer covering the plasma something, something plant

cells…

Stacey stiffened all of a sudden. “Oh my God, he’s coming—”

Composed of fat and sugar—

Something slender and shiny fell from who knew where, landing in the middle of Sam’s

notes. Blinking tightly, it took me a couple of seconds to recognize the faded and half peeled

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles sticker covering the back of the silver cell phone.

My heart slammed against my ribs. Gripping the edges of the notebook, I slowly lifted

# 1 NEW YORK TIMES and USA TODAY Bestselling author Jennifer lives in Martinsburg, West Virginia. All the rumors you’ve heard about her state aren’t true. When she’s not hard at work writing. she spends her time reading, working out, watching really bad zombie movies, pretending to write, and hanging out with her husband and her Jack Russell Loki.

Her dreams of becoming an author started in algebra class, where she spent most of her time writing short stories….which explains her dismal grades in math. Jennifer writes young adult paranormal, science fiction, fantasy, and contemporary romance. She is published with Spencer Hill Press, Entangled Teen and Brazen, Disney/Hyperion and Harlequin Teen. Her book Obsidian has been optioned for a major motion picture and her Covenant Series has been optioned for TV.

She also writes adult and New Adult romance under the name J. Lynn. She is published by Entangled Brazen and HarperCollins.